In the latest event in the CREES 50th anniversary series, in the annual European Politics and Society and Economics (EPSE) seminar, Honorary Director General of the European Commission Graham Avery and Lara Scarpitta of the EU Delegation in Ankara provided students and staff an insight into the challenges and prospects of EU enlargement.
Highlighting the salience of the theme of EU enlargement in the research of many in CREES, in the Annual European Politics and Society and Economics (EPSE) seminar, Graham Avery (Honorary Director General of the European Commission, European Policy Centre in Brussels and St Antony’s College Oxford) and Lara Scarpitta (CREES PhD graduate and Political Advisor at the EU Delegation in Ankara) discussed the past, present and future of EU Enlargement. The two speakers brought to the debate a wealth of practical experience and a knowledge of the academic literature.
The event which was supported by the School of Government and Society Student Enhancement Fund, in the words of CREES Director Dr Tim Haughton who organised the event, 'provided staff and students with the opportunity to hear at first hand from two experts in the field, who not only are aware of the broader context of debates about EU enlargement, but have extensive first-hand experience'. Dr Scarpitta's participation, he added, was also a ‘source of inspiration for our students, who can see that studies in Birmingham can be a springboard for a fascinating career in the European Union'.